Feeling a lil nostalgic

Azure felt the space between them shrink as Hanako inched closer, feeling a mix of relief and apprehension as she asserted her refusal to leave. Her defiance was in full display. "You are beautiful." He offered flatly, automatic. Giving his mate the compliment she'd playfully sought like it were an obligation.

He grew silent then, absorbing her words, his breathing a measured rhythm in the dense air.

“What do I need?” Azure repeated her question, his voice low and almost contemplative. There was a pause, a moment where he seemed to consider his words. What did he need? His paw flexed in the grass, raking a path through the dirt with his claws.

No matter how hard he thought on it, no answer could find its way to his lips. What he needed was for things to go back to the way they once were, to return to a past now tainted with pain and loss. Before his mother had died, before his father had betrayed the sanctity of their family by replacing her. Perhaps it was so difficult because the choice he'd made to stay away was not the selfish option.

More than anything, Azure wanted to go home. His decision to abandon his crown was a selfless one; a sacrifice made for the sake of his family. Az knew himself well enough to understand the destructive path he would tread if he returned home. His first act would be to waltz into his father's den and unleash that rage and grief. Sabers bared, he would paint the walls with the bitch's blood. If Sirius got in the way... well, Azure wasn't a wolf that backed down easily. The resulting battle would change everything.

"I need..." Azure's voice trailed off, a shadow crossing his features. "I need to feel something else. Fuck, I need to hurt something." He closed his eyes, allowing his desperate confession to hang loosely in the air between them.

"Speech"